


Amalgamation

by maderi



Category: overwatch
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bottoming from the Top, Cop Jack Morrison, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gabriel is so screwed, HEA, Happy Ending, Hinted at Jack being secretly overprotective, I don't know what else to tag for, It's the red line across the entire story, Jack is even worse off, Just the old idiots being stupid in love, M/M, Making Love, Misunderstandings, Parent Gabriel Reyes, Police Brutality, Prejudice, Racism, Racist Language, Regret, Rimming, Soft sex, They truly do deserve each other, at least a little
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-12 10:35:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19944763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maderi/pseuds/maderi
Summary: Gabriel's life had been nothing but a series of struggles. He's a single parent in a less than ideal neighborhood, barely scraping to keep his head above water and provide for his kids. When the cops come knocking, the new rookie might just be what Gabriel has been searching for his entire life.Together, they might just be able to beat the difficulties of everyday life, while building a future to support each other.





	Amalgamation

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution to Reaper76 RBB 2019. The story bloomed from this beautiful piece by Mozzarella. Make sure to take a look at their beautiful art which you can find here;
> 
> https://twitter.com/MotherMuchy/status/1153651065008590849?s=19
> 
> https://muchymozzarella.tumblr.com/post/186491582629/for-the-reaper76-reverse-bang-i-signed-up-as-both
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the read!

Gabe watch as the police car pulls up to the curb close to where his kids are playing with their toys. He watches as Officer Asshole steps out of the car and swears loudly. ‘Not this shit again!’ Dropping the dishes he was washing, Gabriel hurries out the front door, stepping into his slippers as he prepares to face up to the asshole cop once more. 

It’s the second time that month their shitty neighbor has called the cops for “suspicious activity by foreign people”, the cops responding every time, even though they know by now, that there’s nothing suspicious about two kids playing. 

But upon rounding the corner, his eyes finding his kids again, Gabe has to do a double-take at what he sees. A huge, blond cop guy is laying down on the sidewalk beside them, playing with and smiling at their small giggles. He has to smile at them both laughing, happy with the attention the blondie is giving them as he walked over. But what takes his breath away is the blonde himself. 

He’s so long where he lays, a massive leg crossed over the other as he taps Jesse’s toy horse along the pavement, trotting it over to Jesse’s toy cowboy and Sombra’s cyborg (painted purple, black and silver. He worked hours on perfecting that toy for her). The man’s massive chest basically dented the pavement where he lay, the wide shoulders squared as he propped himself up on his elbows. 

And the ass, the man’s ass was a perfect bubble. Gabriel found himself frozen in the middle of his front lawn, just staring wide-eyed at the gorgeous cop. Before he knows what he’s doing, his phone is up and in his hand, a few pictures taken of the scene before him. 

The man looks up at him, beautiful clear blue eyes staring back into him, sending Gabe a dazzling smile as he says something to his kids, the pair looking back at him and nodding before he gets up and moves towards where Gabriel stands frozen on the lawn.  
He’s unable to prevent the faint pink dusting across his cheeks as the tall man comes to a stop before him and smiles. 

“Hi there, I’m Officer Jack...” The gorgeous man in front of him starts but is rudely interrupted by Officer Asshole.

“Jack! Get your fucking ass over here.” The man shouts, “And Reyes, keep your ingrates off of the street.”

Gabriel can see the blondes eyebrows furrow, his beautiful lips thinning to a thin, thin, tight line as his eyes narrow. Turning toward his partner, Jack’s about to say something but is once again interrupted. 

“We got more important stuff to do than corral wetbacks.” he glared at Gabriel as he said this, smirking when Gabriel couldn’t help the growl from escaping him. 

“Now hold on...” Jack started, but as he protested, the car’s radio cracked up, announcing a shooting some blocks away. 

“Let’s go!” Officer Asshole roared as he spun around. 

Jack had just enough time to turn around and smile apologetically at Gabriel before sprinting off, and just like that, they were both gone. 

“Papi, what’s a wetback?” Jesse’s soft voice called from beneath him. 

Closing his eyes, Gabriel prayed for strength to not leave him now. Frustrated tears stung from beneath his screwed shut eyes, his tongue hurting painfully as he bit down to suppress the sobs that threatened to leave his throat. 

Looking down, Gabriel smiled softly at his son’s worried face. Sombra stood right beside him, looking confused as well. Sighing, he crouched down to be on their eye level, preparing to have yet another conversation about ignorant people. 

“Do you remember how last week, we talked about how some people don't like that everyone is different?” Gabriel paused to wait for his kid's answer. 

Nodding, both Jesse and Sombra furrowed their brows in hard concentration. 

“You said that we’re all the same, but that some people can’t see that,” Jesse said slowly, thinking hard as he slowly uttered the words. 

“That’s right, mijo. Some people only see in black and white, while many others see in colors.” Gabriel had thought long and hard about what he would one day have to tell his children. 

He had known that someday, racism would rain down on them for no reason other than the color of their skin. It was a horrible default in humans, but no matter how hard he had wanted to at times, he couldn’t fault them all. 

All humans weren’t bad, though not everyone was good, Gabriel had refused to raise his children with the prejudice of others. He had decided to explain racism to his kids as well as he could without prompting either side. 

“But Papi, how do they know if their clothes match?” Jesse asked innocently, worry harshly etched into his young face. 

Gabriel couldn’t help the hearty laugh at Jesse’s question. Oh, the pure mind of a child. He had been unable to rein in his kneejerk reaction of “That’s why they’re dressed like asses.” though, which immediately brought a gasp from his youngest. 

“Papi, you sad a bad word!” Sombra chided, her little hand covering her shocked mouth. 

“Ah, got me there, conejita,” Gabriel grinned down at her scandalized face, “And we all know the penalty for saying bad words, don’t we?”

The two looked at each other with gleeful mirth, before a dual “Pancakes!!” echoed from them both. Like a whirlwind, the two terrors ran into the house, leaving Gabriel to smile fondly after them. 

Sighing, he turned to collect the few scattered toys left on the sidewalk, but to his dismay, he saw the neighbor across the street watching him intently from behind the curtain of his living room window. 

Trying his best not to scowl, to not give the old man the satisfaction of seeing his anger, Gabriel bent down and picked up the toys, smiling and waving a chaste ‘hello’ to the elderly Mrs. Chen on her porch beside the old bastard. 

This was only getting harder and harder every time it happened and as Gabriel sat down in his desk chair that night, his little notebook before him, he saw that today had marked the ninth time in the past six months. 

Sighing tiredly, Gabriel wrote down the time of arrival and the time they left, the squad car’s number and the officers. It was a thing he decided to do after the first incident over five years ago. 

He had been appointed Jesse and Sombra’s legal adoptive father just two days earlier, Valentina, their birth mother and Gabriel’s oldest friend, being on her death bed from illness. 

Her husband, Jesse and Sombra’s father, had been killed in a freak accident just six months prior, his wife following him in the span of a year. Gabriel had lost his two best friends and had become a father of a toddler and a one-year-old that had just lost his mother and father. 

On the second day there, a squad car with Officer Douchebag and his then partner had arrived. They’d had a concerned citizen call about a possible kidnapping. 

Gabriel had been a father for all of two days. 

*

Jack couldn’t shake the unease of what he’d witnessed that day at work. An old man had called in an emergency about suspicious activity by foreign people. The threat had turned out to be two innocent kids, playing on the sidewalk of their own home. 

The way Johnson had sneered at the father, almost blamed the poor guy for letting the kids disrupt the peace by playing with toys. It didn’t sit right with Jack, it didn’t sit right at all. 

So when they had pulled in to the precinct that afternoon, Jack had walked on over to his desk to check out the address. Turns out, visits from the police was a recurring thing for the Reyes’. 

Eight years ago, Gabriel Reyes had been accused of being a terrorist, then two months later; a drug dealer. None of the claims stuck as the guy was squeaky clean, paid his taxes and worked hard. 

The harassment kept rolling in through the years, and by the looks of it, it all came from the same guy. One Jeremiah Kennedy, 81 years of age and a former military man. Jack frowned as he read the file on Gabriel Reyes. 

Five years ago, after being accused of kidnapping, Mr. Reyes finally filled for a restraining order from Mr.Kennedy. When that was denied due to lack of evidence, Mr. Reyes filed for harassment, a report that had been ignored for the past five years, simply left as pending. 

“What painted such an ugly frown on your pretty face, sugar-bomb?” The slimy, cringe-worthy voice of his first-ever partner came from beside his shoulder, making Jack stiffen in discomfort. 

“Just reading the file of Mr. Reyes, Johnson,” Jack replied dully, trying to hide the discomfort of having the guy leaning this close to him. 

“Ah, yeah. That little shit.” Johnson commented dryly, “Been a pain in my ass for years now, the fucker. And not the good kind either, if you get my drift.” Jack could smell the stale tobacco on Johnson's breath as it ghosted past his cheek. 

He wanted to retch, wanted to shove the guy off of him, but he knew that he couldn’t. Jack had just moved from Bloomington, Indiana to get this job, he couldn’t jeopardize it because of some creepy asshole.  
“One of these days, I’m gonna get him for something, and then I’ll make his life a living hell. Maybe one night when the wetbacks get older, he’ll be strolling home from a bar and a car will hit him.” Johnson daydreamed happily, a pleased look on his face. 

“Or maybe he’ll be hitting on the wrong person one day and be jumped and beaten to within an inch of his life. Now that would truly be a good day.” Laughing happily, Johnson leaned back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head as he looked Jack up and down. 

“Speaking of happy days, Morrison. How’s that no hook-up rule going for you? Still off the market?” He winked, spreading his legs for good measure. 

Jack wanted to smash his fist into Johnson’s face, wanted to beat him black and blue, but not for the sexual harassment he’d just subjected him with, but for the threats, he uttered towards a poor, single father. 

Excusing himself, Jack walked out of the precinct, clocking out and walking over to the back to sit in his car. He needed to cool down before he dared head out into the hit and miss traffic that was rush hour in LA. 

His mother had taught him how to calm down by different breathing methods, one of the fancy yoga practices that she loved so much. Jack hated to admit that they actually did work on his bleeding heart that always got too carried away by injustice. 

Pulling out of the parking lot, Jack headed towards his small, but comfortable home, the drive only about an hour away. It wasn’t located in the best of neighborhoods, but with the rental prices the way there were nowadays, it was good enough for him. 

The first thing he had done after moving in, was to install alarms left and right. He didn’t have much of value, but what he owned, he would like to have for many, many years to come. Besides, the insurance company certainly got more accommodating when he said he had the place wired upon every entrance possible. 

It saved him a little bit of money each month, money that again was swept away on the upkeep of his old truck. It had been his pride and joy at sixteen, a thing he'd bought just for himself with what his father would call "hard-earned money". Which it had been at the time. The old Chevy still ran like an angel, but he'd worked damned hard to achieve such a feat too. 

But ever since coming down to LA, the old truck had started giving him some serious trouble. The heat of the area apparently didn't agree with her, making her hiccup and whine loudly at times. He was afraid that she would bid him farewell before long and then where would that leave him? 

Public transport hadn't been a part of his life since he got old 76. The silly name he had given her from her door stickers always made him smile, but as he drove past building after building, the thought of parting with her made his already bad mood sour even more. Tuning the last corner and seeing his little house had never felt better than it did right then. 

Crossing his arms on the steering wheel, Jack rested his head on them, leaning in as he closed his eyes and breathed out hard. The world was an unfair place, it's one of the reasons he decided to become a police officer in the first place. He wanted to be a part of making the world a better place for everyone, not just the rich and powerful. 

He knew when he accepted the job offer in California, that his strength would be tested more than once, but the first two weeks had gone surprisingly well up until that call to Mr. Reyes' house. Growling at the memory of the reports, Jack leaned back and hit the steering wheel hard. 76 objected loudly in the form of a strangled sounding beep. 

The rapping on his window a second later made Jack's soul jump out of his body. Clutching the gun on his thigh, Jack turned slowly, features scolded and completely blank, to face the person outside of his car. The young girl standing there looking worried, but still smiling, threw him for a second. Clicking the safety back on his gun, Jack breathes in relief. He wouldn't put it past this neighborhood to be robbed in broad daylight while stepping out of his truck. 

"Are you alright mister?" The young girl asked from outside the truck. 

Opening the door and grabbing his bag, Jack stepped outside, closing and locking the door as he squatted down to be on the same eye level as the girl. She stared at him with open wonder sparkling in her brown eyes, a small smile still on her lips. 

"My name's Pharah, I live over there with my mother." She said, pointing to the house beside Jack's where a beautiful woman stood with a steaming mug of something in her hand. She raised it in greeting and Jack nodded back in acknowledgment. 

"It's nice to meet you, Pharah. My name is Jack, I just moved here two weeks ago." He smiled down at her, laughing a little as the girl lit up. 

"We know, we watched you move in. But you were gone when we rang the bell." Pharah all but raced through the words, excitement, and urgency almost making the words stumble. "You have to come to dinner." she finished with a big smile. 

"Fareeha..." Her mother chided from where she stood in the door. 

"Oh, right." Pharah looked sheepish, twisting her fingers together as she stared down at her feet. "Would you like to have dinner with us, Mr. Jack?"

Jack couldn't help the wide grin that spread across his face at the girl's adorable display. He remembered himself as a child, too excited to string together his words correctly, more than once causing confusion or ire from his mother when he forgot about being polite. 

"I would love to have dinner with the two of you. Do I have time to change first?" He makes sure to reply a little louder than necessary to Pharah. 

"Thirty minutes?" Pharah's mother called from her spot by their door, a soft smile on her face when Pharah turned with a questioning look towards her. 

Jack nods an affirmative towards her before turning to Pharah once more. The girl's grin was wide enough to cross her whole face, a soft dusting of pink crossing her cheeks as she stared up at him. 

"I'll see you then, Pharah." Jack smiled and watched his new friend run across the lawn to her other, loudly exclaiming that the new neighbor, Mr. Jack, said yes to having dinner with them. 

Making quick work of changing out of his uniform, Jack took a quick shower and threw on the most presentable casual clothes that he had available. The light blue jeans clung to his lower body maybe a bit tighter than was appropriate for a first dinner at his neighbors, the dark grey henley shirt clinging to his upper body as if a second skin. Looking around the bedroom, he was almost ashamed of the wall of boxes that stared back at him. He needed to unpack his place soon. 

The dinner at Ana and Pharah’s went as well as meeting your neighbors for the first time over dinner could go. Pharah was interested in everything about Jack’s job, bouncing excitedly on her chair as she had to be reminded by her mother every five minutes to eat her dinner.

Ana was an entirely different experience. She poked and prodded into his past, his present and his future, no doubt making sure that Jack was a reliable guy, as he was to be their neighbor for the foreseeable future. 

He told her about everything, of course, not daring to hide anything from her. Ana was not a woman you refused. But when she asked Jack about his love life, he faltered. 

“I don’t... That is private.” He says, doing a double-take when Ana raises her eyebrow and snorts. 

“I mean, I’m not a weirdo or anything.” Jack adds hastily in defense, “But I am gay, so if that is going to be a proble...-”

“Oh calm yourself, Jack. My best friend is gay, so there’s no problem there. Come to think of it, I’m not entirely sure I’m not gay myself.” Ana muses while Pharah looks dumbstruck. 

“So, any love interest, Indiana?” Ana smirks, prodding once more. 

Sighing with defeat, Jack tells them about this one guy he met at work who was kinda cute, but they met under... less than desirable circumstances, and Jack doubted that the guy would ever be interested in him. Heck, Jack didn’t even know if the guy liked other guys. He had two young kids...

With the information falling out of Jack’s mouth, Ana’s already unsettling grin widened into something knowing. Jack felt a chill run down his spine at the display, feeling as in he just walked into a trap. 

They were alright people, both of them. A bit odd, but who was he to judge? He had no doubt that he was just as weird to them. But being new in the neighborhood, Jack couldn’t really afford to be picky. 

So as the days went by, they got to know each other better, Jack had them over for dinner, once or twice too, but usually, he was the one who was invited over. 

It was once again a dinner night over at Ana and Pharah’s when Jack, already late from work and traffic, pulled up into his own driveway seeing his neighbors living room already lit with shadows walking around. 

Running over the lawn, hoping that Ana didn’t see him, Jack rang the bell and waited, smiling at the sound of Pharah running to the door. In a flash, the door was swung open and Pharah grinned at him. 

“I am so sorry for running late, Miss Pharah. Do I have enough time to change?” He asked, a little stressed. 

“You have five minutes.” Ana’s head comes floating from a nearby wall. 

“Thank you, Ana.” Jack smiles, grateful for not having to sit there in his uniform. 

“And sweetie, wear what you wore the first time you were over.” Ana says, winking as she disappeared again. 

Confused, Jack sprints back to his own house, missing the keyhole about fifteen times before he can walk inside, locking the door behind him and discards his uniform on the way to the bedroom. 

He manages to put his gun away in the safe, take a super quick shower and fight his way into his jeans, pulling the henley over his head as he locks the front door in his haste to get to Ana’s inside of those five minutes. 

Knocking on the door, Ana greets him with a towel and makes him bend down so she could ruffle dry his hair and pat it down again before letting him in. 

“Thanks, Ana.” Jack smiles, rounding the corner to the living room, intent on finding out how Pharah’s science project went the previous day. 

But as he comes around the corner, he stops dead in his tracks. On the couch sits one Gabriel Reyes, looking just as perplexed as Jack must look. He looks drop-dead gorgeous in his black jeans and blood-red shirt, both pieces of fabric clinging to his body for dear life.

“Ah, Gabriel, this is my new neighbor, Jack Morrison.” Ana says from behind him. 

“Jack, this is my very gay best friend, Gabriel Reyes.” She smirks, a shit-eating grin on her face as she walks past him to stand between them. 

The tension in the room is hard enough to cut with a stick of hot butter. The two of them just standing there awkwardly, staring at each other without really saying anything. 

It isn't until Pharah and two kids Jack recognize very well, turns the corner, running at full speed, that the tension breaks. 

Loud shouts of 'Jack!' ring through the living room, before Jack has two small kids awkwardly hugged around his middle. 

"Jesse, Sombra, leave the man alone." Gabriel hisses, but there's no heat behind his voice. 

A beautiful pink dusting has appeared on his face, making him look even more beautiful than Jack could remember. He had no doubt that he himself had a pretty distinct blush on his own face, ears quickly heating to finish the look. 

“I eh, hi,” Jack says, feeling his face heat up even more. 

“Hi,” Gabriel says in return, reaching out to shake Jack’s hand. 

“Nice to officially meet you, Jack.” He says, smiling, just about taking Jack’s breath away in the same go. 

“I wanted to thank you for what you did for Jesse and Sombra the other week. It was really... We really appreciated that.” Gabriel looks almost sad as he says this, making Jack’s anger rise. 

“The caller had no right, Gabe. Neither of them did. It doesn’t mean much, but I want to apologize for what my partner said back then. It was way out of line and should have consequences.” Jack says with a rush of words, fist tightly knit in anger for them. 

“I’m new to this town, to the job, but I won’t stand for it. It’s not... It’s not right.” He finishes, looking a bit lost, feeling a little lost. 

Gabriel wears a soft smile for him, a twinkle in his eyes, and Jack feels his knees turn to jelly. Grinning sheepishly, he instead turns his attention onto the kids, excitedly asking them what they’ve been up to if they’ve played more with the awesome looking toys. 

Both Jesse and Sombra grin up at him, talking animatedly over each other as they tell him about this and that and how Papi had given in and bought them a cop toy each. 

Jack noted how Gabriel’s fist tightened for a second, wondering what that was all about. He already knew that they didn’t have much money, the records stating Gabriel’s income. Two new toys must have put him back a little bit. That or he just didn’t especially like the thought of buying his kid's cop toys. 

With the way his precinct treated differently colored people, Jack couldn’t find it in him to blame the other man. He’d known about it before moving here, but he hadn’t imagined it being as bad as it really was. 

Smiling to the two smiling kids, Jack rose to his full height again, looming over the giggling pair. He noticed how Gabriel smiled fondly of them, wishing that smile would be directed at him one day. 

“Dinner is ready, boys.” Ana says, walking ahead of them. 

At the table, Jack is seated across from Gabriel, Ana on his left and Jesse on his right between him and Gabriel at the end of the table. Sombra is sitting on Gabriel’s right, a booster chair neatly placed up to the table.

Ana gives him a side glance and smiles, tilting her head in Gabriel’s direction to usher him to say something. Jack feels like he has already stuffed his mouth with his foot, not wanting the other one to join too. 

He’s saved when Gabriel starts asking him questions about where he’s from when he decided to become a police officer and what not. The conversation went surprisingly well after that, the three of them laughing and smiling.

Jack helped Jesse cut up his meat as Gabriel was busy with Sombra’s food. The smiles from both Ana and Gabriel wasn’t lost to him, even Jesse’s big eyes twinkling up at him made him smile to himself. Gabriel had a set of precious kids, how could he not help them out a little. 

The hour turned late by the time they noticed the clock, Gabriel having had wine with their dinner, suddenly looked worried. 

“What’s wrong, Gabriel?” Ana asks, smiling at her worried-looking friend. 

“It’s getting late, we need to get back. We have quite the way home.” He says thoughtfully, looking deep in thought for a moment. 

“Oh no, Gabriel, I promised to drive you home. I had wine with the food too, I didn’t remember.” Ana clutches her chest in regret, not looking regretful in the slightest. 

“It’s alright, we’ll just call a cab. The last bus left fifteen minutes ago.” Gabriel says, looking pained at the no doubt big cost of getting back home. 

“Oh Jack, would you be a darling and drive them home. You can take my car as I know you don’t have enough seats.” Ana begs, giving Jack the feeling that she had somehow planned for this to happen from the beginning, And by the look on Gabriel’s face, he thought the same.

“No, no, it’s alright. We will just call a cab, no problem.” Gabriel argues, but Jack has already made up his mind. 

Rising from his seat at the end of the couch, Jack looks questioningly at Ana who nods towards a bowl in the hallway. Jack nods and turns to lift a sleeping Jesse into his arms. 

“You coming, Gabe?” Jack asks Jesse, shifting on his shoulder to get comfortable. 

“You really don’t have to, I, we...-” But Gabriel gives up. He doesn’t want to be alone in a cab with two small children any more than Jack wants him to, so he turns and picks Sombra up. 

Gabriel and Ana bicker as Jack walks over to put his shoes on, bending oddly to grab Jesse and Sobra’s with his one free hand before Gabriel and Ana turn the corner. 

He offers Sombra’s pair to Gabriel when he’s managed to put his own shoes on, and like that, they are all out the door, Ana telling Jack to take her car to work the next day so she doesn’t have to get up when he gets back. 

Jack is about to decline when Ana closes the door in his face. Frowning, Jack turns to walk over to the car, getting Jesse in his seat and fastening his seat belt. 

They’re quiet the first five minutes of the drive, neither of them knowing what to say to the other when they were alone. 

“Thank you.” Gabriel eventually says, looking pained as he bites his lip. “We don’t have a lot of money and a cab home would have put us back a bit.” He admits, looking anywhere but at Jack. 

“It’s really no trouble, Gabriel.” Jack smiles, keeping his eyes on the road. “I understand what you mean. Being a cop on the beat doesn’t exactly pay well either, so I get it.”

“It looks like you’re doing good though. They both look to be safe, happy and well-fed, and really, that’s all that matters, right?” Jack compliment Gabriel, smiling fondly as he dares look at the two sleeping angels in the back seat. 

“Yeah...” Gabriel hums, looking thoughtfully out the window, unsuccessfully trying his best to hide the blush that has spread across his cheeks. 

Jack just smiles as they drive in quiet. He tries his best not to daydream, not to overthink the looks and smiles Gabriel has sent him the entire night, but he’s helpless not to dream. 

Too soon for Jack’s liking they arrive at Gabriel’s house, the other man a little shocked when Jack had remembered the address without any help from Gabriel. 

When they’ve carried Jesse and Sombra into their shared bedroom and put them into the same queen bed, Jack reluctantly turns to leave after Gabriel thanked him for his help. In the very last minute, he twists around to face Gabriel.

“If you’re not busy this Saturday, would you and the kids like to come to the beach with me? Well, us, Ana and Pharah too.” Jack asks, adding the last part hastily.  
“Yeah, we’d love to. Thank you for thinking of us, Jack.” Gabriel smiles, looking at Jack with wonder as he bit his lip. 

“Give me your phone,” He suddenly says as Jack is about to leave again. 

Offering his phone to Gabriel, Jack watched as the other man punch in a number and a second later, a phone vibrates from inside the house. 

“So that we can arrange what time to meet up and where.” Gabriel gives as an excuse, knowing fully well that they could have gone through Ana. 

“Thank you,” Jack replies, smiling softly at Gabriel. 

For long moments, they just stand there, softly looking at each other with pink dusting their cheeks. The silence doesn’t bother either one of them, both too lost in this bubble that is entirely theirs. 

“Papi?” Jesse’s sleepy voice calls from inside the house, and it’s enough to have them both look away. 

“Goodnight, Jack.” Gabriel says, as he regretfully moves to step inside the house. 

“Goodnight, Gabe.” Jack waves at the other man, smiling like a lovesick puppy, made all the worse when Gabriel grin in return. 

‘Oh, he is so screwed...’ He thinks as he drives away from where he was parked in front of Gabriel’s home. ‘He’s so royally screwed.’ 

*

Gabriel curses the heat for what felt like the fiftieth time that hour, the bus taking them to the beach having no air condition. Sombra sat sweating on his lap as he tightly held onto Jesse’s hand as he stood between his thighs. 

He’s just about to swear loudly as the guy in front of them sways rudely into Sombra when the bus starts up again and a voice he knows all too well calls out. 

“Hey, watch where you’re leaning. There’s a kid behind you.” Jack looks huge where he bulldozes his way through the people to get to them.

The guy mumbles an apology as he moves to the front of the bus, opening up the space around them. Jack bends down to pick Jesse up from between Gabriel’s thighs, hoisting him as far up as he can get him. 

As Jesse’s mop of hair starts moving wildly, Gabriel understands why. Up there, the wind from the open windows is moving freely. He’s nudged a second later as Jack gives them both a handheld electric fan. 

Sombra sighs contently at the air blowing her way. Gabriel has to smile at Jack’s thoughtfulness. Turning on his own fan, Gabriel can’t help his own sigh from escaping his lips. 

“I vaguely remember you driving a truck?” He says to Jack, watching the blonde blush. 

“Yeah, 76 said blank no three days ago, refusing to start.” He gives an explanation, which would explain why he had asked if Gabriel knew anything about cars a few days ago. 

After Jack had driven them home, he’d texted Gabriel to let him know that he arrived safely. They had been texting on and off throughout the day since then. 

“I’m sorry to hear that. Will it run again?” Gabriel asks, leaving the fact that Jack had named his car 76, for another conversation. 

“I don’t know. Not much of a mechanic I’m afraid.” Jack shrugged, eyes sparkling as the bus pulled up to their final stop. 

“We’re here!” Jack just about shouts in excitement. 

“First time at the beach?” Gabriel snorts, meaning to tease the pale blonde. 

He isn’t prepared for the embarrassed ‘yes’ he gets in reply. Jack had never been to the beach before?

They’re unable to continue that conversation when Ana shouts for them, having already secured a good spot for the day. Walking together down to her, Gabriel can’t help to sneak looks at Jack. 

He’s so handsome, tall and broad, yet lean. He has a few visible scars peeking out from the open arms of his shirt. The teasing glimpses of light pink nipples have Gabriel choking on air, Jack turning towards him in worry. 

“You alright, Gabe?” Jack asks, walking over to hold his shoulder in support as Gabriel coughs. 

“Just peachy.” Gabriel manages to squeeze out, eyes watering as the nipples are right in front of him. 

Beet read in the face, they finally manage to get to where Ana and Pharah is, Ana sending him knowing looks. Things don’t get any better when after breakfast, Jack pulls his shirt over his head and ask if anyone would mind helping him get the sunscreen on his back. 

Ana excuses herself with still having tea in her hands, winking over the rim of the cup to Gabriel who curses her under his breath. 

Touching Jack’s scarred, pale skin is like one of his wet dreams. Since Jack invited them to the beach, Gabriel had-had to buy a bottle of lube for the first time in what felt like a decade, after emptying his hand lotion. 

The daydreams he had during the day was made all the more lively in the shower or in his bed as he woke up in the middle of the night, erection hard enough to pound nails. Gabriel hadn’t been this horny since he was a teenager, piping up at everything.

He’d had to masturbate every night before bed to actually be able to sleep through the night, waking in the morning all stiff and drooling. The shower jerk off in the morning was the best way to start a day. It made him relaxed and easy-going. 

And as he finished rubbing the sunscreen into Jack’s skin, Gabriel was not even surprised to find that he had a boner from hell. He refused to give Ana the satisfaction of sending him a knowing smirk, instead of helping Jesse and Sombra get their sunscreen on. 

The day was spent on and off with boners, Jack apologetically asking him every hour of he could help him with his back. Gabriel didn’t see the point though, as, by the end of the day, Jack was as red as a tomato, the sunburn really sticking out. 

He looked adorable. Though he swore he would never ever visit the beach again, quickly going back on his words when Sombra’s bottom lip began to wobble. Oh, Sombra had him wrapped around her little finger alright. Gabriel couldn’t help the feeling of his heart swelling, making room for a blonde in the little family section of his heart. 

“That reminds me, there’s a fair opening up next month. Wouldn’t it be so much fun to go?” Ana bends down excitedly to address the kids. 

They’re all a fluttering heap of tired excitement in a matter of minutes, already having decided to go when Ana overplays shocked sadness. 

“I forgot, I won’t be able to go that day.” She says, a look of absolute sadness on her face, “I’m afraid we won’t be able to go, Pharah.”

‘Oh, that was cold.” Gabriel thinks to himself, rolling his eyes as he sees straight through his best friend. 

“Don’t worry, Ana. I can take her,” Jack offers, “If you all want to go, that is?” 

Unable to say no to his kids when they’re this excited, Gabriel reluctantly agrees. It’s going to be a tight fit to budget a day at the fair into their already tight budget, but he will manage somehow. 

Jack rides the bus all the way to their home with them. ‘Just needed to see you all safely home.’ he gives as an explanation, and Gabriel’s heart once more skips a beat. 

“Would you like a coffee?” He asks when he’s opened the door and let the kids in. 

Jack’s whole face lights up as he nods, happily accepting the invitation. He waits patiently as Gabriel bathes Jesse and Sombra, watches with something aching to pride as they both brush their teeth and sings the tooth-brushing song. 

He receives a hug from both of them before they hurry off to bed, shouting for ‘Papi’ to hurry up. Gabriel read the fairytale of the day from their book, both of them know the story by heart by now. 

When he eventually emerges, it is to find Jack asleep on the couch. The blonde snores softly, the sunburn painting a funny picture. Looking at the clock, Gabriel almost regrets waking the younger man. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Jack mumbles, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and wincing. 

“Let me guess, you have no idea how to treat your sunburn, right?” Gabriel crosses his arms and smiles playfully at Jack. 

Jack huffs indignantly, clutching his chest and taking a deep breath before he lets out a pathetic ‘no.’ 

Smirking, Gabriel asks him to follow him outside, grabbing a knife from his kitchen. In his small backyard, a huge aloe vera plant stands proudly, it big, fat leaves hanging in every direction. 

Gabriel cuts a big leaf off, bringing it with him to the kitchen where he pulls out a big container, a spoon, and a beater. Cutting the top layer of the leaf, Gabriel drags the slimy content of the aloe vera leaf into the container with the spoon. And with the beater, he smashes the firmer bits into a smooth gel.

“Take your shirt off and turn around.” Gabriel commands, smirking when Jack does as he says, revealing the long, broad expanse of his back. 

Taking a handful of the gel he just made, Gabriel spreads it across Jack’s back, smiling as the blonde sighs and sags in relief. It must be really nice to have the heat taken away and soothed. 

Gabriel can’t imagine how it must feel to be as pale as Jack and then get a sunburn-like this. It isn’t like Gabriel can’t get a sunburn, in fact, the reason for the aloe plant is for that exact reason. But he doesn’t burn as easily as his kids, and definitely not as easy as Jack. 

“Thank you.” Jack says gratefully when Gabriel finishes and he’s cleared to put his shirt on again. 

“Oh crap, I gotta run if I don’t want to miss the bus.” Jack says regretfully. 

With hurried goodbye’s, Gabriel watch as Jack jogs down the street, regretting that he didn’t offer Jack the couch. Closing the door, Gabriel throws the remnants of the leaf away and prepare for bed, the coffee long forgotten.

*

Jack is a blistering wall of fury in more ways than one. The sunburn calmed after a few days, making way for a new kind of burn. Two days in a row they’ve pulled out to Gabriel’s house, Mr. Kennedy calling in ‘suspicious activity by foreigners’ and the morning after Jack had been there, ‘brothel suspicions’ as he’d seen a man leave the house, barely wearing clothes.  
He had looked apologetically at Gabriel as he knocked on the door, heart hurting as he saw the beautiful smile on Gabriel’s face fall when he told him why he was there. 

Jack had turned off his shoulder camera and pulled Gabriel inside the house and closed the door, watching as the otherwise stoic man crumbled before him. Forgetting his active duty, leaving protocol behind, Jack pulled Gabriel into a hug, letting the other man cry on his shoulder. 

Feeling helpless he had rocked Gabriel as e held him, listening to the man in his arms voice his despair at the situation, how he wished he would be able to move far away from the neighborhood, away from the abusive man across the street. 

Jack tried his best to calm Gabriel, promising him that he would find a way, that he wouldn’t allow this to go on any further. He left just as Johnson was about to open the door, not even intending to knock. 

And before his partner could say a single word, Jack grabbed his vest and pulled him along, opening the door and barking at him to get the fuck inside the car. 

The rest of the day had been strained, Johnson wisely keeping quiet with his racist bullshit. It wasn’t until their shift was over that Jack walked up to archives and asked for access on a repeat call, that Johnson voiced his worries. 

“You alright there, Morrison?” He asked, looking as small as he should be. 

Jack didn’t even bother to reply as he went into archives and closed the door, one goal in mind; to build a waterproof case for Gabriel.  
At 5 am, Jack left the precinct, taking the bus close to where he lived. He was exhausted, grateful that he had the night shift that day. As he walked up to his driveway though, he didn’t notice the blonde two houses down. 

“Jack!” The female voice of someone he knew called out, trying its best to be heard and stay quiet at the same time in the early morning. 

Turning, Jack was surprised to see a familiar face. Halfway down the neighbor's lawn, Angela Zeigler walked towards him. They had been somewhat friends in college, the two going separate ways as Jack opted for the police academy.

“Angela? What are you doing here?” Jack smiles, welcoming the hug when she reaches him. 

“I just moved in two houses down. Been assigned medical chief at Overwatch private sector.” She beamed up at him. 

Overwatch, Jack whistled. What a lucky duck she had been. He’d only heard about the company, the recent CEO job going to Mr. Winston, a brilliant guy. All he knew was that the agents who worked there earned a lot of money, getting everything they needed on top of that. 

“That is amazing, Angie.” Jack smiled, “But that doesn’t explain what you’re doing here?”

“Oh, well, you know me. I want to be as close to the clinic as possible, and while living here, I only have a ten-minute drive without any traffic.” She grinned, knowing fully well that everyone at college knew how she had whined herself to a room by herself because she didn’t want to live off-campus.

“Besides,” she starts, “it’s only for a little time while the apartments on top of the clinic are done.” she finished. 

Ah, there it was. Jack laughed wholeheartedly, feeling the tension of the day leaving him. Inviting Angela over for breakfast, the two of them caught up before Jack went to bed, texting Gabriel a good morning message, not knowing that he would see the man later that day for another call. 

*

Gabriel smiles happily to himself, three weeks of freedom. Three weeks he hasn’t been worried about the safety of his kids. For three weeks, no cop has come knocking on his door. Well, Jack doesn’t count he tells himself, smiling at the memories of the goofy blonde. 

He has no doubt that Jack is behind the sudden lack of harassment, he just doesn’t know what Jack did to make them stop. Their friendship has blossomed, resulting in the two and four of them to hang out often. 

Jack had invited himself over for a day of BBQing and fun, surprising the kids with having bought a decent-sized pool for their enjoyment, bringing along his grill. Together, they had sat in beach chairs and watched them play, eating the best meat Gabriel had ever had in his life. 

It had been the best day since they all went to the beach, though Gabriel half expected the cops to come knocking the day after when waving Jack off, he had glimpsed Mr. Kennedy behind a curtain. 

When the knock never came, Gabriel started to suspect that something was up. Jack seemed happier, making Gabriel’s suspicions even more pronounced. But the days turned into weeks and here they were, waiting for Jack to knock on their door before taking them to the fair. 

Right on time, Jack had knocked, grinning down at Sombra and Jesse’s excited faces. He hurried them all off into a minivan, Pharah greeting them excitedly, before driving off. 

At Gabriel’s question about where his old truck had gone and whose car this was, Jack had just shrugged, not wanting to answer the question, but mumbling something about ‘space’ before he addressed the kids instead, presenting five tickets to the backseat. 

Gabriel gapes at him, scandalized that Jack had gone behind his back and bought the tickets. Gabriel tried to give money to Jack, having saved what he could, just enough for three tickets and some candy, but Jack would have nothing to do with them, pushing them back at Gabriel.

‘Sneaky little shit.’ Gabriel had thought, a nagging feeling in the back of his head telling him that Jack had done all of this, the tickets, /the car/, for them. Not wanting to go there yet, Gabriel brushes the thought from his mind, instead of focusing on the evening before them.

The hours fly by in a whim, occupied with laughter, smiles and too much candy. It has been a very long time since Jesse and Sombra have had such a good day. Sure, they’ve had fun days at the beach, BBQing and so on, stuff that didn’t drain their already tight budget, but they deserved a day like this, just being kids and having fun. 

They weren’t the only ones, as Jack himself turned into the biggest kid of them all. Childishly playing their games and excitedly joining them for every new event. Gabriel found that he liked this playful side of Jack almost too much. 

He really stepped up, showing the greatest potential of being a good co-parent, something Gabriel found that he suddenly wanted. They’re watching the kids in the fairy wheel when Jack gets a phone call, the female voice greeting him loudly. 

“Hey Jack!” The woman calls excitedly. 

“Hi Angie, you good?” Jack asks, turning away from Gabriel. 

Gabriel can feel his heart breaking, to distressed to follow the short phone call, left by the cold hard realization that Jack had someone else. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t taken their relationship further. 

“You alright, Gabe?” Jack’s shoulder suddenly bumps his, “You look a little tired there.”

Looking up into Jack’s impossibly blue eyes, Gabriel tries his best to smile, nodding, not trusting his voice enough to not break if he spoke aloud. 

He almost pulls away when Jack’s hand brushes his, long fingers finding his before intertwining, holding onto Gabriel with the most innocent action of them all. 

Turning to Jack, Gabriel is about to tell Jack to stop, when Jack turns to face him, big hand coming up to cup Gabriel’s face, and just like that, Gabriel is powerless to do anything but rub his face into the touch. 

Smiling, Jack leans down slowly, giving Gabriel time to pull away if this isn’t what he wants. But Gabriel wants, Gabriel longs, so when the younger man’s lips meet his in the softest kiss, Gabriel is unable to drown the moan that bubbles up in his throat. 

The kiss went on for the better part of a minute, Jack still holding his hand and clutching his face. They only break apart when Jack notices the wheel coming to a stop, eyes immediately trained on the kids, following them with hawk-like eyes as they make their way over to them. 

Still holding hands, Jack walk them all over the place until the hour grows late and they return to the car. Jack has been carrying Sombra for the better part of an hour, buckling her into the booster seat after he’s shooed a yawning Pharah and Jesse inside. 

Gabriel can’t help but watch the display. For nearly six years he’s been a single parent to Jesse and Sombra, not trusting anyone with the safety of his kids. But during the past seven months, Gabriel found that he could find the strength to trust Jack. 

Their budding relationship still in the early stages, Gabriel found that he could easily fall for Jack, that he could easily fall hard. The thought scared him enough to be quiet the rest of the way home, the two of them holding hands the whole way. 

When Jack left that evening, kissing Gabriel goodnight, he closed the door to sit down on his couch. He had a long night ahead of him, needing to figure out if this was the right route to follow for his kids and him. 

When the sun bathed the living room in an orange glow and the birds started singing, Gabriel had eventually come to a decision. Texting Ana, he was surprised to get a reply almost immediately. 

Feeling his heart flutter with excitement, Gabriel went to bed, hoping to get the last four hours of shut-eye before he had to wake his kids to prepare them for a sleepover with their aunt.

*

Angela and Jack laughed, snickering as they carried empty boxes out of Jack's bedroom. She was helping Jack unpack his boxes after Ana and Pharah helped him with the kitchen yesterday, the place finally looking livable when they left. Angela had come over with a batch of newly baked cookies when Jack tackled the living room and finally, his bedroom. 

An hour in the doorbell rang and Jack asked Angela to get it as he just walked into the bedroom with a heavy box, still laughing at the crazy romantic idea Angela had just voiced for Jack to tackle his crush when the doorbell rang.

Still laughing and grinning widely, Angela walks across the room to open the door while Jack deposits the heavy box. A handsome man stands there with an embarrassed smile on his face that quickly falls when he sees her. 

"Hello, can I help you?" She smiles at him. 

"I uh, I was just..." The man stumbles, starting to look pale, "um... Jack he?"

It isn't really a question, but Angela replies anyway. This has to be the guy Jack is head over heel in love with. 

"He's in the bedroom," She starts but is interrupted with Jack laughing and groaning from the bedroom.

"Angie, you're killing me here!" He whines, snickering and groaning some more as he apparently sets the heavy box down on the bed, the mattress squeaking with the added weight. 

"Of course, I.... Sorry." The guy says, thrusting the flowers into Angela's hands, not bothering to watch her struggle to catch them before he has turned around to leave. 

"stupid fucking shit, Gabe. Of course, he's married." She can hear him mumble brokenly, angry, as he quickly strides towards his minivan and pulls out in a hurry. Angela, standing in the doorway confused, quickly catch up to what just happened and runs back to Jack throwing the flowers in his chest. Jack squeals in surprise at the flowers suddenly pushed to his chest, looking up into Angela's wild eyes. 

"Wha...-" He starts, but Angela interrupts him. 

"This man you're crushing on, he wouldn't happen to be a hunky Latino guy, about your size, but bigger?" Angela asks with an urgency Jack doesn't understand. 

"Yeah?" Jack confirms confused. 

"He just rang the bell, Jack," Angela said, her face softening, looking almost apologetic when Jack's face lit up, smile wide and eyes sparkling. 

"I think he thought I was your wife. He just stood there staring blankly before he shoved the flowers into my chest with a 'sorry' and left, cursing himself for being so stupid." She added when Jack rushed past her to greet Gabriel at the door. 

The happiness on Jack's face immediately fell, his eyes shimmering and looking just as lost as Gabriel's had just moments earlier. 

"Where'd he go?" Jack asks frantically, "Angie, where did he go?"

"I don't know, Jack. He stepped into his minivan and speed off down the street." Anela replied.

"I need to go after him, I... I need to.... Where are my keys?" Jack pats his pockets, striding over to the bowl on the hall counter without any luck. 

"The key box on the wall, Jack." Angela reminds him softly, Jack looks back with a grateful smile on his face. 

"Drive carefully, Jack. Remember, it's better to get there later than to not arrive at all." she smiles.

"Thanks, Angie." Jack smiles softly before he skips out of the door. 

It's like the world is against him though. 76 doesn't want to start before he's turned the key about twenty-four times, eventually hiccupping away down the street. The road to Gabriel's place is packed with traffic, and when he finally escape it, he gets pulled over by a cop, receiving a ticket for missing a backlight. One of Johnson's friends, no doubt. 

When he eventually arrives at Gabriel's home, the sun has long since set and the house is dark. Biting his lip and hoping against hope Jack rings the bell, waiting nervously for any sign of Gabriel. When after a few minutes nothing happens, Jack rings the bell again and knocks twice for good measure. 

The door finally opens and the sight that meets him has his heart breaking into tiny unrepairable bits. Gabriel has obviously been crying, his beautiful brown eyes red-rimmed and puffy, his lips raw where he has tried to stifle the sobs that no doubt wracked his body. He stands before Jack in a worn t-shirt and a pair of old, worn sweats, arms crossed on top of his massive chest.

"What do you want?" His voice breaks in the middle, neither sounding angry, nor casual. Just....defeated. 

Jack stands there gaping at him, unable to say anything at all. What could he say? It was all a misunderstanding, he knew that, but the sight of Gabriel looking so broken before him had Jack's heart constricting painfully as if it was being strangled with barbed wire. He found that he didn't know what to say, his head blank and any sound strangled in his throat. 

When Jack hadn't managed to respond after a few minutes, Gabriel uncurled his arms and moved back to close the door, spurring Jack into a desperate response. 

"I love you." Jack all but shouts, eyes immediately growing huge with shock, matching Gabriel's own before growing narrow with fury. 

"I mean, I don't. I'm not..." Jack stumbles spectacularly. 

"What, you've come to gloat, Jack?" Gabriel growls furiously, making Jack take a step back. 

"She's not my wife!" He manages to shout before Gabriel can shut the door in his face. 

The door opens once more and the look on Gabriel's face almost has Jack break down and cry. The scared hope now shining in the other man's eyes is a mile wide step from the fury that resided there just seconds before. White teeth came to bite Gabriel's bottom lip, a nervous tick Jack had noticed whenever Gabriel really, really wanted something. 

"Angie, the woman who opened the door, she's my neighbor," Jack explained slowly, scared to death that he would somehow screw this up even more. "She's not my wife, not my lover, not a love interest at all. She's just a good friend, my only friend beside you." 

"Gabriel, I'm gay and if I am to marry anyone and have a family, I would want it to be with you and your children." he continues shakily, face pale but pink-cheeked. Fusting his hands, Jack dares to look Gabriel in the eyes. "But I do love you. I know it's too early and that you might not feel the same way, I just can't leave here today, letting you think that I don't."

Jack feels out of breath when he finally finishes his rambling. He's still meeting Gabriel's eyes, the other man not giving away anything as he just stands there. The minutes slowly tick by, Gabriel still frozen to the spot and completely mute. Jack can feel his hope sinking quickly, his eyes filling with tears, throat thick, making it hard to swallow that huge lump suddenly forming. 

"I eh... Sorry." Jack eventually says before he turns to leave. He gets to within a foot of his truck before he's slammed against the door, a furious looking Gabriel in front of him when he's turned around. 

"You're such an idiot!" Gabriel growls angrily, tears running down his handsome face. 

"You're such an idiot, Jack." It's uttered a little softer this time and Jack can't help himself, pale hand coming up to cup Gabriels furiously angry cheek, the skin hot under his touch. 

"I know. I know, Gabriel." Jack whispers as he the man before him leans into his hand, head bowed and embarrassed. 

The anger is still there inside Gabriel, but when Jack wraps him up into a tight hug, it seems to seep out of him. And just like that, the giant man turns into a little kitten as Jack slowly rocks them, Gabriel's face hidden into the crook of his neck. It feels better than anything Jack has ever experienced in his life, it feels right, like this is exactly where he's supposed to be for the rest of his life. 

"I'm sorry," Jack whispers when Gabriel wrap his arms around his middle. 

Gabriel doesn't reply, just holds onto Jack's frame. The warm breath that ghosts across Jack's neck is the perfect soother, calming his nerves at once. Maybe today didn't have to be a complete disaster after all. He's uncertain how long they stand like that, embracing each other as if they would never see each other ever again. 

But for all Jack knew, he wouldn't. Gabriel hadn't said anything in reply to any of Jack's embarrassing statements. He'd called him an idiot, to which Jack could agree that he was, but besides that, the big man in his arms had been unnervingly quiet. 

"I can hear you thinking, Jackie," Gabriel mumbles against his skin, warm lips brushing his neck, making goosebumps erupt like freckles on a sunny day. 

But before Jack could apologize again, Gabriel takes his hand and leads them up and inside his home. Once inside, Jack doesn't know what to do with himself. Gabriel still hasn't said anything to calm all the questions racing inside his head, making Jack's palms clammy and rather twitchy. Daring to look up at Gabriel, Jack is met with the wise, brown eyes he's come to love so much. 

Gabriel is watching him intently as if he's looking for something specific only he knows about. He seems to have found it when Jack smiles apologetically and blushes a no doubt horrible shade of pink. He's too nervous. 

When Gabriel takes his hand next and leads them to the bedroom, Jack is a bundle of buzzing questions altogether. He's dreamed of the day their relationship would lead them to something more intimate than shy kisses and cuddle sessions on the couch, but as Gabriel starts to lift the bottom of his henley, Jack finds that the moment hasn't come. 

A hand on Gabriel's wrist stops the movement, the denim blue fabric falling down to cover that mouth-wateringly delicious skin underneath. Jack hopes he'll get the chance to see it again, but for right now, Jack needs to know how Gabriel feels. He can see the moment Gabriel once again comes to the wrong conclusion, but instead of letting the older man flee this time, Jack doesn't let go of Gabriel's hand. 

Lifting the slightly clammy hand to his lips, Jack kisses the back of it softly, turning it over to place another one on the pulse point of Gabriel's wrist. He s not going to let Gabriel curl back up into his protective shell. Not this time, not today. With a new resolve, Jack slowly nuzzles into Gabriel's hand, the warmth and instant safety washing over him, pushing him onwards with what he's doing. 

Looking up at Gabriel, he can see the soft confusion clearly written on the man's face. He doesn't think he's ever turned down intimacy before, but then again, he has never been as serious about anyone before as he is with the man standing in front of him. When he takes a step forward, crowding Gabriel, the man close his eyes as Jack leans in. 

The kiss is as soft as their first one, but it doesn't last. Jack pulls back, still crowding Gabriel as he looks into the closed eyes, waiting for them to open up. It doesn't happen and Jack realizes that the angel before him is scared. In fact, he has been scared all along. Smiling softly, Jack cups the side of Gabriel's face again, thumb lightly caressing the cheek, watching those long, dark lashes flutter before they open, revealing sparkling brown orbs of love and fear. 

He doesn't think that words are what they need this night, so instead, he toes off his shoes and socks, the hand not occupied with grounding Gabriel dips down to scoot down his sweats. He doesn't push, just stands there and waits for Gabriel. When the other man drops his own sweats, Jack smiles and finally drops his hand. 

The one he grabs is cold and clammy, the fingers skittish as he intertwines their fingers. Leading them both to the bed, Jack pulls back the covers and wait for Gabriel to lie down. It doesn't take long at all, the beautiful man walking past him and slips into the soft-looking bed. Jack smiles as he stares down at him, receiving a soft smile in return. 

Slipping into the bed beside the man of his dreams is overwhelming, making Jack swallow hard as he scoots closer to Gabriel. Intertwining their hands again, they lay there staring into each other's arms. Hours go by as they bask in each other's warmth, the feeling of having the other close, of looking into each other eyes as sleep slowly take them under. 

Before Gabriel's beautiful eyes close, he takes the step to crawl into the circle of Jack's arms, his face resting on Jack's chest. A content sigh escaped his lips a second before Gabriel's body goes limp and he folds himself after the shape of Jacks. Jack feel like he's floating with happiness. It's that feeling of overpowering love that finally pulls him under.

*

Jack loves him. 

It's the first thought that registers as Gabriel wakes up the morning after. He's cocooned into strong, impossibly warm arms, the furred chest beneath his cheek is so comfortable, Gabriel doesn't dare to open his eyes. Instead, he buries his face further into the comforts of the other man and all but purrs. He hasn't been this comfortable for a very long time, the stress of everyday hiccups bleeding away as he bathes in the warmth of the man that loves him. 

A deep hum runs through the massive chest, and shortly after, lips find their way to Gabriel's hair, the curls no doubt a tangled mess where the other man buries his face in them. The vibrations through Jack's chest as he hums happily forces a smile out of Gabriel. He's helpless against the sheer power of Jack's love, and love it is, Gabriel is sure of it now. 

He's hoped for so many months, longed and pined like a starved dog, wishing for Jack to feel the same, but afraid of taking their fragile friendship that one last step towards something more. Jack's lips had been so certain when they met his at the fair last week. He'd kissed him as if the world around them didn't exist like they were the only two people left on this earth. To Gabriel, it had felt lie coming home after searching a lifetime. 

He had no doubt that Jack was it for him. 

"G'mornin beautiful." Jack drawled, breathing contently into Gabriel's hair. 

"Good morning, sunshine." Gabriel smiled into the dark curls of Jack's chest. He had been certain that Jack had gone to bed last night with a shirt on, but for the life of him, Gabriel didn't mind one bit. 

"Seem to have misplaced my shirt during the night. Sorry 'bout that, baby." Jack hugged him closer, but all Gabriel could focus on was Jack's 'baby'. He found that he really liked Jack calling him that, a weight that Gabriel didn't know that he carried, fell off, leaving him even more content than he thought he would ever be. 

"Hot sleeper?" Gabriel mumbled as he breathed in the scent of Jack's chest, the dark curls tickling his nose as he took a few good long lungfuls. 

"So hot, you have no idea. I usually don't wear clothes to bed." Jack admitted, and Gabriel could feel the smile spreading across Jack's face, the laughter bubbling up in the chest beneath his face. 

Untangling himself from Jack's warm cocoon, Gabriel lay down on the pillow beside Jack, the younger man looking sleep tussled, his hair sticking out here and there. He looked content, like a big lion basking in the warmth of the morning sun. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips as he cupped Jack's face, thumb caressing that lethal cheekbone. 

"What are you thinking about, baby?" Jack asks softly, turning his face into Gabriel's hand. 

'That I love you?', 'That I want to marry you and grow old with you?', 'That you're perfectly flawed and everything I've been looking for in my life?', Gabriel thought, but what escaped his lips was something else entirely. 

"Thank you for... Yesterday, just thank you." He stumbled, not really landing on the correct words, but by the look on Jack's face, he had understood what Gabriel meant. 

"Not everything is about sex, Gabriel. You're the most important being in my life, I didn't want to screw that up by sleeping with you prematurely. There is a time and place for everything, but yesterday wasn't it." Jack scooted closer as he said this, soft features radiant and beautiful as he came to a stop inches before him. 

"It doesn't mean that I don't want to, but... Gabriel, I want to do this right. I want to treat you right. The way you have always deserved to be treated." Jack's words washed over him, unlike anything he had ever experienced before. 

"I meant it when I said I love you. I know it's early and I don't expect anything in return from it, but I need you to know that this is how serious I am about you, Gabriel." He continued, face open, a little smile gracing his lips as he looked Gabriel deep in the eyes. 

The blue of it felt like it was dragging Gabriel down into the deepest, most mystical, depths of the ocean. It had a warmth to it that just surrounded Gabriel, devouring him whole. It had been that way from the very beginning, Gabriel left in complete awe at the beauty the blue orbs held. 

Mulling the words over, Gabriel thanked whatever lucky star he could think of, that this farmer's son from Bumfuck, Indiana found his way into the buzzing streets of downtown L.A. The likelihood that they would even have met was minimal, so in his moment of happiness, he spared a thought to Mr. Kennedy for sending him to his house. 

"Why are you smiling like that? That doesn't look like an innocent smile at all. " Jack grins over at him and Gabriel is helpless to withhold the laughter that is bubbling up from his chest. 

Dramatically, Jack rolls over on his back, an arm thrown over his face as he mumbles something about how he never thought he'd be laughed at as he proclaimed his undying love for someone. Grinning, Gabriel crawls over to lay on top of Jack, crossing his arms to rest his chin on Jack's massive chest. 

"Oh no, oh no you don't," Jack growls as Gabriel sets up the puppiest-of-puppy eyes he can muster. He learned early on that Jack was no match to his eyes or smile. The boy scout would turn into goo, unable to say no, if Gabriel stared at him for long. Now though, the barely contained grin beneath the big arms told a different story. 

Lifting his arm from above his eyes, Jack stared up at him, eyes twinkling, cheeks pink and smile mind-numbingly beautiful. If Gabriel hadn't already been head over heels in love with the idiot beneath him, he would have been no match to the man at this moment. 

Reaching forward, Gabriel traced the lines of Jack's face with the pads of his fingers, noting the hard stubble as he passed that lethal jaw. Jack just lay there, letting him explore, letting Gabriel map the contours of his face, burning them into the very bark of his memories. 

As he looked down into that handsome face, Gabriel knew that he'd never be over Jack for as long as he lived. It was a scary power to allow someone to hold over him, but deep down, he had a gut feeling that Jack would never ever betray him. The man beneath him would stand by his side for as long as he drew breath, and even then, Gabriel was certain that Jack would find a way to stay by him from beyond the grave. 

"Marry me?" Gabriel whispered as he finished mapping Jack's face. 

It was a crazy thing to ask someone you just admitted your feelings to. Well, Gabriel hadn't exactly admitted anything yet, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this was the right thing to do. By the shocked expression on Jack's face though, it didn't look like he was onboard with Gabriel's crazy jump. 

Staring up at him was two wide pools of black, beautifully circled with a deep, deep blue that steadily grew darker. Jack stared up at him, his chest unmoving as the man apparently had forgotten about breathing. Who needed air anyway? 

Jack was quiet just long enough for Gabriel to have fear and regret seep into his mind. He had no doubt that his happy looking face fell with every second that ticked by without a response. When he tried to retreat, to lift himself from Jack's body and move away from him, Jack's arms wound around Gabriel's middle and pressed him down. 

"Jack.... let go." Gabriel said sadly, refusing eye contact with the younger man. 

"No." Jack bites out harshly, "I mean, I will if you want to, but Gabriel, baby, look at me.... please?" He adds regretfully and it immediately calms the anxiousness that had quickly started to bubble up in Gabriel's body at Jack's refusal. 

Slowly, Gabriel lifts his eyes, daring to look at Jack from beneath his thick lashes. What he sees is insecurity, hope, and anxiousness of the very highest grade. Jack isn't angry or upset, but worried. 

"Is that what you want Gabriel?" Jack asks when Gabriel finally turns his head to stare down at Jack's face. 

He's about to turn his head in shame again, of course, this had been a ridiculous idea, a dreamers dream when Jack's hand softly holds him in place. 

"Please don't hide from me, baby," Jack begs and Gabriel finds that he's unable to look away from the younger man. 

"Did you mean it?" Jack asks even softer this time, eyes twinkling with hope and what looks to be happiness. 

It's everything Gabriel needs to calm his racing heart, to take a leap at faith one last time. To give himself a shot of the happiness he knows he deserves, the happiness the man beneath him no doubt will be able to give him. Breathing out deeply, Gabriel steels himself and leaps at faith. 

"Jack, will you marry me?" He repeats, heart beating wildly in his chest and by the look of it, it hasn't escaped Jack either.

"Yes." Is the simple and confident sound that escape Jack's lips. 

For a long moment though, Gabriel can't recognize the word. For long moments, he just stares expectantly at the grinning man holding onto him. Until the affirmative 'yes' sinks in and Gabriel gapes at Jack. Every word imaginable rushes forth to escape his mouth, 'how can you agree so calmly?', 'you don't even know me!' but nothing escapes his open mouth. 

Instead, Gabriel is witness to a display of joyful emotions popping up on Jack's face. Happiness, love, joy, insanity, laughter. But above all, Jack looks content. He's staring up at Gabriel with an expression on his face that instantly calms Gabriel's anxiousness. Instead, Jack's emotions spread through Gabriel's body as the meaning of the word finally registers in the back of his head. 

'Jack Morrison wants to marry me.' He repeats the thought at least a billion times before the most face splitting smile he's ever had spreads across his face. Happiness like nothing else seeps through his veins, making laughter bubble up. Their bellies blob and roll together as they both laugh, smiling at each other in this intimate and frankly absurd moment. Gabriel eventually leans down to kiss Jack, hands framing the man's beautiful face. 

"We don't have to rush this," Gabriel whispers between heated kisses, "I'm in no hurry."

"But I am," Jack growls out, his arms holding tighter onto Gabriel's body, securing him to the spot on top of his body. 

They kiss for long minutes, hands caressing what skin they can reach. At some point, Gabriel's shirt is hiked up to ball beneath his arms, before Jack breaks the kiss and pull the offending fabric off of Gabriel's body. The giddiness Gabriel feels is overpowering, the hard, fast beat of his heart almost deafening as they struggle to get naked. It's clumsy and new, they're not in sync at all, which make the effort of getting to their desired destination a laughing matter. 

'Which is good.' Gabriel thinks as Jack chuckle when a button on Gabriel's sweater gets caught in his sleep tousled, curly hair. It's humiliating just how unsexy this is, but Gabriel can't help the grin and chuckle of his own when he gives up, hands planted on Jack's chest as the younger man helps him untangle from his shirt. 

Emerging from the dark space, Gabriel's eyes are met with the most beautiful man he's ever seen grinning up at him. Jack's eyes twinkle, the crow's feet in the corner wrinkling up as the love the younger man holds for him beams up to smack Gabriel off of his high horse. 

Early on, he had found that he was no match to this man. Jack was everything Gabriel had ever dreamt of, everything he had longed for, all wrapped up in a neat, massive package of white bread and sunshine. He always thought he would find someone different, he certainly didn't think that he would find himself a farmer's son from Indiana. 

Jack tanned alright, but the younger man was as white it could blind a person. Strangely enough, it all was endearing to Gabriel. Like the pink and red sunburn, he had gotten after inviting them to the beach. The coarse dark hairs that dusted his body, such a contrast to the pale skin beneath. Whenever Jack got embarrassed, his face would burn all the way down to his chest, ears all but screaming bloody murder. It was all somehow appealing to Gabriel, something that if you had asked him seven months ago, he would have never acknowledged. White boys weren't his cup of tea, which to him, right now, seemed silly. 

The younger man beneath him had done nothing to deserve his prejudice, and for a moment, Gabriel felt shame like nothing he had ever experienced before. Had he been just as bad as the people he himself disliked? Naturally, Gabriel knew that racism was a cancerous disease among people, but through his years, he had never once stopped to look at his own perception. 

But looking at it now, Gabriel couldn't hide the facts that stared back at him. Even though he had been instantly attracted to Jack, he had expected the man to be like all the others, a racistic asshole unworthy of his time. When Jack had played with his kids, making them feel comfortable instead of the usual talking to they always got by Officer Asshole's usual partner, Gabriel had had to take a moment to think.

Since then, Gabriel had all but waited for Jack's ulterior motive to push through, but as the months ticked by, the man stayed just as nice and helpful as he had been from the beginning. And some time along those months, Gabriel had fallen head over heels for the Indiana native. 

"You alright, baby?" Jack's worried voice eventually called through Gabriel's thoughts. Sitting naked on top of the other man, Gabriel had stopped, no doubt a constipated look on his face as the realization hit him hard in the worst possible moment. 

"Never been better, Jackie." Gabriel smiled as he leaned down over the flushed pink chest, to kiss the worry off of the beautiful man between his thighs. 

Jack was clearly about to protest, the worried crease between his eyebrows deepening, then smoothening out as Gabriel kissed his worries away. The innocent man beneath his was so easily manipulated sometimes. It was something Gabriel had discovered early on, the farm boy clearly longing to be touched by him. 

Kissing Jack was always like coming home. from their first awkward touch of lips up until this second, Gabriel had always been transported to a safe haven every time the heat of the other man consumed him. This time was no different. His erection having flagged a little as his thoughts took him to a darker place, was now bouncing happily between their stomachs.

Breaking the kiss, Gabriel crawled back from his seat on Jack's hips, his fingers slipping into the blonde's boxer shorts before slowly pulling it down the pale thighs. The already impressive outline rolled with the fabric before smacking into his abdomen as the boxers disappeared and freed it from its prison. 

The cock wasn't as long as Gabriel's own, but what it lacked in length, it more than made up for in width. The pale cock widened mouthwateringly wide before slimming, making way for a beautifully angry red head, the foreskin stretched thin over the width of it. Gabriel could feel his mouth noticeably watering by the sight, pupils no doubt blown wide with lust. 

Looking up from the beautiful cock, Gabriel met Jack's eyes, the blue almost swallowed entirely by black as his mouth hung open, red lips kissed raw. He looked good enough to eat, something that Gabriel intended to do just seconds later. 

Letting his hands run the length of Jack's thighs, Gabriel slowly pushes them wide as he lay down between them. Jack is beautiful from this point of view, the long expanse of his torso deliciously quivering from Gabriel's touch. It forces a small chuckle from his lips, his warm breath ghosting softly past Jack's cock and balls, resulting in the pale skin before him to erupt in goosebumps as Jack moans pitifully, cock jumping with the action.

He's delicious. Gabriel has no other word for the man laid out before him. The heat from Jack's cock is enough to send shivers down Gabriel's spine as he swallows the flushed member, extracting a tortured moan from the owner. It lays just right in his mouth, heavy and smooth, and before long, Gabriel fins himself slurping away. 

By the sound of it, Jack enjoys the very enthusiastic blowjob. His thighs are trembling as is he was stranded buck naked on the north pole, his hands tightly fisted into Gabriel's sheets, twisting and turning the fabric as he tries his best to bite back sounds constantly escaping his lips. 

"Gabriel... Ah, baby... P-please." Jack begs, and when Gabriel looks up, he can see why. 

Jack's skin is pink and sweaty, his eyes desperately trying to hold back the orgasm that would no doubt have ripped itself from him if Gabriel had continued any longer. Lazily letting Jack's hard cock slip from his mouth, Gabriel's satisfied to hear Jack hiss as his dick smack back to his abdomen.

It's enough to have Gabriel's own cock bob in appreciation for the beautiful man before him. Crawling over to his nightstand, Gabriel retrieves his half-empty bottle of lube, blushing for some reason as he turns to lay down on his chest, ass facing Jack and in the air. 

It takes a minute for Jack to react and when he does, the bedroom fills with the most pitiful groan Gabriel has ever heard in his life. It's enough to make him turn to look at the younger man. The sight that meets him is so surreal it has Gabriel snorting indignantly. 

Jack is sitting up Gabriel on his hands and knees between his spread open thighs, cock standing at full attention, bobbing freely in the air between them. Jack's fist is tightly lodged between his teeth, his eyes blown wide and if Gabriel's eyes aren't tricking him, a small drop of drool trickles from the corner of Jack's mouth. 

"You alright there, boy scout?" Gabriel has to ask, Jack's eyes snapping to attention as he addresses him. 

"Mhmm..." Is the only reply he gets in return though. 

Jack eventually lift his hand tentatively, ever so slowly reaching out for one of Gabriel's cheeks. He looks as if he's been presented with something he never thought he would have and is afraid that if he touches it, it will turn out to be a very good dream. 

When Jack's huge palm finally lands on Gabriel's ass, he's unable to hold back the moan that bubbles up from his chest. He has dreamed of this moment for so many moths now that having the real thing almost doesn't feel...well, real. They're both so vulnerable like this, so afraid of doing something wrong. 

Eventually, Jack spreads his cheeks and grans once more. Gabriel is about to ask what he's doing when a warm, wet tongue lands in the center of his pucker. It completely takes his breath away as he's unable to lean into the warm muscle. Hot breath washes over his sensitive area before another swipe of that oh so clever tongue slowly runs past it again. 

Jack leans forward more securely now, the motion forcing Gabriel down on his chest as Jack spreads his cheeks with more confidence. Gabriel squeaks, he honest to God squeaks when Jack goes to town on him, the eagerness like a puppy with its squeaky toy. That clever tongue presses between his too hot, puffy rim, dragging along sensitive nerves on its quest. 

He's absolutely lethal as he rims Gabriel, changing between licking, sucking and thrusting his tongue into him. Gabriel's head swims by the time the first two fingers breach through his raw rim. They're so slicked up that they just slide right in, Gabriel's hole so buttery soft, so hungry for Jack that it's ready before Jack has finished preparing him. 

Leaning back, Jack takes Gabriel with him, depositing him across his hips once more. Gabriel is almost too out of it to do much more than lean his hands on Jack's massive chest for support. The other man raises his knees and just like that, Gabriel is transported into a dream-like state where only the two of them exists. 

Nothing about what they're doing is frantic. Jack's fat cock is a lazy pressure as it ever so slowly forces its way into Gabriel's buttery soft and slick hole. It's more of a grinding, squelching motion than anything else, but it hits every hotwired nerve on its way inside, the pressure, the with and length just right to drive Gabriel up the wall. It's perfection. 

'It's making slow, passionate love.' something in Gabriel's head provides helpfully.

And it's exactly what this is. Two men, so completely in love with each other that they need the presence of the other like their lungs need air to live. Gabriel's cock bounce at the thought and by the sound of Jack's filthy, wet moan, he felt it too.

One of the huge hands Jack has anchored on each side of his hips, let's go of its death grip, slowly caressing its way towards Gabriel's leaking member. When long fingers curl around the head, Gabriel's gasp is so hot that he can swear steam appears from his open mouth.

A clever thumb presses slowly to his frenulum, rubbing small innocent circles in the precum basically dripping from the slit. The lazy circles had Gabriel clenching around the chub of Jack's cock deep within him, trapping the heavy appendage inside of him.

The motion sends shivers down the entire length of Jack's body, the warmth trembling beautifully beneath Gabriel's thighs. The heavy emotions surrounding them has Gabriel's arms threatening to give beneath the heavy bulk of his body and when they eventually, unavailability, gives in, Gabriel crashes down onto Jack's massive chest.

It's all the encouragement Jack needs though, as a moment later, those wonderfully, powerful arms wrap around him, holding him close and secure inside the cocoon of Jack's love.

The heat of their bodies makes Gabriel's cock slide lazily in the sweat between their stomachs, precum smearing random streaks across them both as Jack's lazy rhythm sends Gabriel's lower body up and down.

It's all so incredibly intimate, Jack's deep blue eyes staring straight through Gabriel's soul, giving him a first-row view into Gabriel's heart and every emotion swimming in it.

The softly high pitched moan when the fat of Jack's cock drags slowly past Gabriel's prostate is all the encouragement he needs to lazily roll them around.

As if Gabriel's muscles evaporated, his massive thighs fall wide open to make room for the bulk of Jack's body. The younger man's waist is painfully slim, but still, his thighs fall wide enough to accommodate a man twice Jack's width.

It seems to drive Jack up a notch as his hands slide up to Gabriel's knees, pressing them the tiny distance down to meet the mattress, successfully bending Gabriel's body in two.

Jack's cock slides even deeper as the new position opens him up just about as much as is humanly possible. The chub of his cock catch on his rim with every withdrawal and lazily drags past Gabriel's prostate on its way to his core.

He had never once imagined that making love would be like this. A passionate bubble that trapped them in the embrace of each other's bodies, a place where time never moved. With emotions riding high, their bodies were wired tightly, hypersensitive to every small adjustment they made.

So when Jack let go of Gabriel's knees, hands sliding down the top of Gabriel's thighs to help him wrap his legs around Jack's small waist, Gabriel was unable to stifle the long moan as every muscle moves as molasses.

Hands held his head still and then hot lips met his once more. The warm, moist breath that ghosted over them moments later was so arousing that Gabriel whined pitifully.

Unable to express what he wanted, Jack was left shushing him quietly, slowly whispering reassuring words onto his lips, thumbs slowly caressing Gabriel's cheekbones as the lazy thrusting continued, never faltering once.

Gabriel's head was boiling, swimming in too hot water, unable to draw the deep breath that he so desperately needed. It was like panic was starting to crawl up his spine, lungs constricting painfully in their panic.

Something was happening and for the life of him, Gabriel couldn't figure out what it was. Something like fear washed over him as his body felt like it was being electrocuted.

"Just let go, Gabriel," Jack whispered reassuringly. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm right here with you."

And just like that, the tightly wired cord inside of Gabriel snapped. The lazy thrusting, the impossibly slow smothering of his cock, Jack's massive frame covering his and those deep blue eyes holding him prisoner, was everything Gabriel had ever longed for in his life.

With a pathetically long moan, Gabriel's spine bowed as he came in long, lazy intervals. The rhythm of it so staccato that by the time the last pearly white drop was pressed out of his member, Gabriel's body went completely lax beneath Jack. A blissed-out expression had no doubt conquered his face, but by the look of Jack's soft smile, it must be a good look on Gabriel.

With his bones completely absent from his body, all Gabriel's left to do is whisper encouragements into Jack's ear when he leans down, the lazy rhythm not faltering. His arms are wound around Jack's burning neck, locking of their own accord. Blissfully fucked out and high key sensitive, Gabriel's body is soon enough wired just as tightly as it had been just moments earlier.

The telltale tickling at the base of his spine, the fluttering of butterflies in his stomach, enough to have Gabriel a whining mess again. Jack's lazy rhythm is faltering, telling Gabriel that he's no longer the only one doomed for completion any longer.

Deepening his thrusts, as if reaching for new depths, Jack emerge from the crook of Gabriel's neck, blue eyes blown wide in his flushed pink face. He's breathtakingly beautiful like this.

Their lips meet in a scorching hot kiss, eyes wide open as they're both witnesses to each other's souls opening to the other. It's a beautiful sight when Jack's eyes widen and his mouth opens in a long drawn moan.

For a second or two, Jack's beautiful blue eyes almost swallow the irises before the black all but devour the blue as Jack's orgasm race through his frame.

Gabriel have no doubt he has the same expression on his face as they come undone almost simultaneously, his muscles contracting in a desperate rhythm, milking Jack's cock for every last drop he has to give.

Their foreheads eventually meet as their eyes close, breaths mingling and mixing in their desperation to supply their lungs with air. In their chests, their hearts are running wild, beating a frantic rhythm that only after long, mind-blowing minutes match up to calm each other.

Jack's massively heavy frame is a beautiful comfort where it's still wrapped around Gabriel's body. The vulnerability has trapped every cell in his body, but in the back of his head, Gabriel knows that he's safe in Jack's arms.

Neither of them is aware of how long they stay like that, but by the time they land back in the bed, their bed, Jack's cock is flaccid inside of Gabriel's hole.

Rising up on his elbows, Jack looks down on him with love all jut bleeding out of his open face. It's almost unnerving to know how much the other man, his future husband something in Gabriel's head chimes in, loves him.

Reaching up to cup Jack's face, Gabriel smiles up at him, receiving a dashingly goofy smile in return.

"I love you, Jack," Gabriel finally says, voice unwavering and sure as the words escape him for the very first time.

The smile on Jack's face is enough to chase away any lingering insecurities Gabriel had left. This man adored him with every fiber of his being and he'd never once given Gabriel a reason to doubt that. Returning the smile, Gabriel tightens the lock around Jack's neck to pull him down into another kiss.

It is perfection, like everything else Jack does.

'It is not perfection.' Gabriel thinks a few moments later when they're both of sound enough mind to go take a shower.

When Jack eventually pulls out of him, what feels like the Niagara falls of cum follow. It's the single most embarrassing thing Gabriel's ever been subjected to. Jack looks sheepish, his already flushed face growing a shade darker as he smiles apologetically down at Gabriel's no doubt scandalized face. 

"Forgot about that," Jack adds as the grin spreads wider on his face. But a second later, Gabriel is lifted bridal style up from the bed and is being carried into his bathroom. 

"If anything stains the carpet, you'll be cleaning it up with a toothbrush!" Gabriel grumbles as Jack takes them into the shower. 

Ever so softly, Jack lets go of Gabriel's thighs, holding his upper body as Gabriel slides down the length of his body to stand on wobbly legs. He's more unstabøe than he thought he'd be, the ecstasy of their previous activities taking a bigger toll on him than he'd thought. 

"I'll take full responsibility, Gabe." Jack smiles as he leans in for a kiss. 

They're not young men anymore, but the instant interest that shoots through them both is enough to bring lesser men to their knees. Gabriel's stomach chooses that exact moment to growl angrily, which makes Jack frown. 

"That responsibility might just have to start with breakfast though." He smiles, cupping Gabriel's cheek as he leans in for a soft kiss. 

Helping each other wash up, the two of them emerge to the kitchen short minutes after. Gabriel's hair is a curly whirlwind of wet locks, while Jack looks like a drowned rat. It's rather adorable if he says so himself. The blonde holds a glow that Gabriel has never seen before and as he sits down at the counter to watch Jack buzz around the kitchen, he notices how different Jack is acting. 

He looks completely relaxed as if a great burden has fallen off of his shoulder and he's finally able to breathe freely. He hums and smiles to himself, stealing looks at Gabriel as he fries eggs and bacon. He burns the first set of toasts as he sneaks a "supportive kiss" as he himself called it. One lead to two and then the only thing to pull them apart was the smell of burnt toast. 

"Hey," Gabriel calls when Jack has loaded their plate. 

Jack looks up and smiles lovingly, walking over to him and bends down to kiss him lovingly once more. Gabriel doesn't quite know what made him do it, but when they pull apart, he snaps a picture of them, arm outstretched to fit them both into the frame. It's the most beautiful picture, apart from that of his kids, he's ever taken. 

"Posting it to your facebook?" Jack smiles as he spins Gabriel around on the chair he's sitting on, before embracing him from behind, chin resting on Gabriel's shoulder. 

'Cop came knocking, told me it was a crime I wasn't married. So, I guess we're engaged now." The title read beneath the picture he had just taken of them both. 

This time, the comments didn't wait to be written as Gabriel's phone buzzed to life with incoming calls. From the bedroom, he could hear Jack's phone ringing, the ringtone obnoxious where it chimed. Putting the phone away, Gabriel spun around inside the embrace of Jack's arms, leaning up cheekily to steal a kiss. 

"You know, I like the sound of being your husband." Jack smiles as he kisses Gabriel one last time. 

* EPILOGUE * 

"Ooooh lookie there, Daddy's home!" Gabriel coos excitedly as Jack's police car pulls up into the driveway. He's unable to hide the grin as their kids storm out of their new house to greet him. 

"Oh, and look who he brought home for dinner." Gabriel elbows Ana in the arm, grinning smugly as they watch Jack's new partner step out of the car, towering over everyone. 

Reinhardt is just as loud and beaming as the first time Gabriel met him, the gentle giant folding him up into a tight bear hug as he loudly greets and compliments their home. He suddenly goes quiet and releases Gabriel when Ana enters the hall, a dull dusting of pink spreading across his cheeks. 

"Miss. Amari. What a pleasure to see you again." He greets politely, big fingers twisting nervously as he looks at the woman before him. 

"Reinhardt." Ana nods curtly, but the blush on her face tells a different story than the indifference she presents. 

"You have been well since we last met, I hope." Reinhard tries, smiling gently as he made an effort to lower his voice. 

"I have." Ana really doesn't budge, but Gabriel doesn't much care as Jack walk in the door, Sombra sitting on his skinny hip and hand holding onto Jesse's. 

Deep in conversation with his eldest son, Jack smiled and nodded animatedly to whatever story Jesse told him, Sombra rolling her eyes dramatically where she held onto Jack. It hadn't really hit Gabriel before now how all his dreams had come true after meeting Jack, how they both worked through their problems and helped each other achieve what they dreamt of. 

Jack's promotion to Captain, being headhunted to Overwatch after running a case of abuse and racism by a group of police officers in the district, had been everything he wanted in his career. Gabriel being able to work from home, being able to make money off of his sewing talents had been the last step before they decided to move. Financially stable, they set course towards an area closer to their friends. They had signed the adoption papers last month, officially making Jack Sombra and Jesses father. Gabriel really had everything he had ever dreamed of. 

"You alright there, baby?" Jack asks as he comes to a stop before his fiancee. 

Smiling up at him, Gabriel leans in for the kiss he'd been longing for since they parted ways that morning. Sombra groaned and Jesse faked barfing sounds as they kissed, dramatically complaining over their parent's public display of affection. It held little heat as they both grinned happily, content with having two parents who loved each other as they did. 

"Never been better, sunshine," Gabriel whispered into Jack's mouth, smiling softly at the blushing blonde before him. 

"That's good to know." Jack grinned, winking as he slowly twirled Gabriel in a circle. 

"You're both obnoxiously cute together, you know that right?" Comes Ana dry remark as they stand there holding onto each other. 

"Let the youth have fun, Miss Amari." Reinhardt boosts with his normal excitement for just about everything. 

"So what, I'm old now? Gabriel is older than I am." Ana scowls at the gentle giant, the man shrinking back as he tries to backtrack and explain what he had meant. 

"What I... I simply meant that..." Reinhardt stumbles, looking pathetically small for someone his size. 

"Let's go outside, I have an idea," Jack whispers in Gabriel's ear, taking Jesse's hand in his and leading his little family outside. 

"What's going on, sunshine?" Gabriel has to ask as Jack let Sombra down and walk over to the waste cans, pulling it out in the middle of the driveway and leaving his phone on it after a few adjustments. 

"Taking a picture, babe. Look smart!" He explains as he jogs over to them, slinging an arm over Jesse's chest as he sneaks in a kiss on Gabriel's cheek. 

As if they had rehearsed this previously, they got fixed up perfectly by the time the phone started beeping and the flash went off. It would later turn out to be the most beautiful picture they possessed, Jack surprising Gabriel that Christmas with a gigantic version of it to hang on the living room wall. But at that moment, as they walked over to look at the picture they had just taken, they all decided that this would be the final nail to complete their rocky story. 

The facebook picture had three words, three words to describe them and their journey. It read; 

Happiness.

Love. 

Family. 

~ The End ~

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading and don't forget to take a look at the beautiful art!
> 
> https://twitter.com/MotherMuchy/status/1153651065008590849?s=19
> 
> https://muchymozzarella.tumblr.com/post/186491582629/for-the-reaper76-reverse-bang-i-signed-up-as-both


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